Vessel
Early access subscription video platform · San Francisco Bay Area
- Founded
- 2015 to 2016
- Entered
- 2015
- Status 2026
- Closed
- Metro
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Embeddedness
- 4 connections
- Confidence
- verified · strongest source trade or financial press
Method
Former Hulu executives Jason Kilar and Richard Tom launch Vessel in San Francisco on 21 January 2015 with about 132 million dollars of funding. Subscribers pay 3 dollars a month to see creator videos 72 hours before YouTube, and Vessel pays creators a subscription share plus ads that it says beats YouTube rates; Shane Dawson, Rhett and Link's Good Mythical Morning and Linus Tech Tips sign on. Audiences do not move for a three day window. Verizon acquires Vessel on 26 October 2016 and shuts the service on 31 October 2016, folding the team into its go90 video product. The rung that breaks is audience: creators cannot carry viewers to a paywall. Tom becomes go90 CTO and Kilar leaves.
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The path: money and goods moving
- paysShane DawsonShane Dawson posts early access videos on Vessel for a subscription share plus ads until the service closes in October 2016.2015 to 2016
- paysRhett & LinkGood Mythical Morning runs on Vessel's 72 hour early access window until Verizon closes the service.2015 to 2016
- paysLinus SebastianLinus Tech Tips is a launch creator on Vessel, paid a subscription share until the October 2016 shutdown.2015 to 2016
- acquired byVerizonVerizon acquires Vessel on 26 October 2016 and shuts the service on 31 October 2016.2016